I was born in Poonch (Kashmir) and now I live in Norway. I oppose war and violence and am a firm believer in the peaceful co-existence of all nations and peoples. In my academic work I have tried to espouse the cause of the weak and the oppressed in a world dominated by power politics, misleading propaganda and violations of basic human rights. I also believe that all conscious members of society have a moral duty to stand for and further the cause of peace and human rights throughout the world.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Ilan Pappe: Israel coined the term “Nakba” and is still implementing it

In the July lull between the two truces of the 1948 war that involved
Israel and troops sent from neighboring Arab states to try and salvage
Palestine, another stage in the ethnic cleansing operation of the country was completed.

While in April 1948 the urban space of Palestine was almost
completely destroyed by the Zionist forces, pockets of the rural areas
and three towns, al-Lid, Ramleh and Nazareth were still safe, but not for long.

Within the ten days of the lull (known in Israeli historiography as
the “ten days war”), more Palestinian land was occupied and more people
uprooted. The newly-born Jewish state promised the UN mediator at the
time to cease fighting and explained that the July operations were just
minor cleansing of pockets of resistance.

The UN did not buy the lie, but was already then a helpless and
hapless organization. Only the city of Nazareth was spared and it is not
very clear why. Zionist leader and Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion,
who was very keen to depopulate it not only from its original
inhabitants but also from the tens of thousands of refugees who found
shelter there since May 1948, in the very last moment was convinced by
someone to leave i intact.